Those other special runners up include A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Au Revoir, Les Enfants, Come and See, Fargo, Femme Fatale, Fight Club, Glengarry Glen Ross, In the Mood for Love, Pulp Fiction, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Se7en, Strange Circus and Weekend.

I had NO idea that Dazed and Confused was your number 1. Or that Pinocchio cracked your Top 10. You're a man of mystery Josh.

I went for what just felt right as far as placement goes, but I cannot count the amount of times I've seen Dazed and Confused and all its done is grow in my estimation. I may not be able to say its the best film out of my list, but its my favorite. And goddamn do I fuckin love Pinocchio

Pedro wrote:

If I remember correctly, you've come a long way, my good man.

I might revise mine soon. It's been a few years. Memento's still number one, but there's been some shuffling below it.

Thank you, I'm inclined to agree. Looking back on past lists make me laugh and cringe.

_________________Never take a forum signature too seriously, even this one.

Fri Dec 28, 2012 4:05 am

Gedmud

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 1:43 pmPosts: 345

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

I guess I'll take a shot, I'm fairly new around here and what better way is there to get to know somebody than to scrutinize their top 10?

I'd also like to add that I excluded the Lord of the Rings, even though it would undoubtedly take up 3 spaces on my list, but I don't think that's very much fun at all. I also don't think I've been watching movies long enough to have a definitive list. It changes a lot.

_________________Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel, and from here on out I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt.

Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:49 pm

JamesKunz

Critic

Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:35 amPosts: 6252Location: Easton, MD

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Gedmud wrote:

I guess I'll take a shot, I'm fairly new around here and what better way is there to get to know somebody than to scrutinize their top 10?

I'd also like to add that I excluded the Lord of the Rings, even though it would undoubtedly take up 3 spaces on my list, but I don't think that's very much fun at all. I also don't think I've been watching movies long enough to have a definitive list. It changes a lot.

*SCRUTINY*

Just kidding. Love that Gone Baby Gone showed up. I'm a huge proponent of that film

I should have put it in the honorable mention. The top ten stands and I like the list better the more I check it out.

_________________Never take a forum signature too seriously, even this one.

Wed Jan 02, 2013 4:04 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1743

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Ken wrote:

I don't think I've examined mine in a while either. That'll make for a good mid-holidays project.

I am actually working on this, and I've brainstormed enough titles that it's shaping up to be more like a top 30 list. While I'm still shooting for 10 and won't put much substantive thought into ordering the rest once I've gotten that accomplished, it is making me ask some pretty weird questions. Like which is better: Crumb or Blade Runner?

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Sun Jan 06, 2013 1:36 am

PeachyPete

Cinematographer

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 8:09 pmPosts: 644

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Ken wrote:

Ken wrote:

I don't think I've examined mine in a while either. That'll make for a good mid-holidays project.

I am actually working on this, and I've brainstormed enough titles that it's shaping up to be more like a top 30 list. While I'm still shooting for 10 and won't put much substantive thought into ordering the rest once I've gotten that accomplished, it is making me ask some pretty weird questions. Like which is better: Crumb or Blade Runner?

That's the problem with these kinds of lists. Once you start comparing your favorite movies, you realize that there isn't really a whole lot to compare because they're all so different. Breaking them down technically, while valuable, strips them of some of the emotion that caused you to love them in the first place. It's tough to do, but also kind of fun...and frustrating.

Looking forward to the list, Kenneth, even though I already have a pretty good feel for what it will include.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Sun Feb 10, 2013 8:28 am

Gedmud

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 1:43 pmPosts: 345

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Nice list Ken.

I'm curious. Are there any films by either Scorsese or Kubrick that you flat out don't like?

_________________Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel, and from here on out I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt.

Tue Feb 26, 2013 5:44 pm

Gwaihir

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:14 amPosts: 283

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

The only way I could conceivably devise a top 10 would be to limit it to movies I saw in theaters:

1. The Sweet Hereafter2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King3. No Country for Old Men4. Memento5. Boogie Nights6. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring7. Toy Story 28. South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (bonus pts for best title ever)9. Silver Linings Playbook10. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Truth be told, most of the best films I've seen were on video or television. If I didn't limit it to theatrical viewings I'd be hard-pressed to develop a top 50, honestly. I'm one of those people whose relative rankings can change seemingly at the drop of a proverbial hat. I don't consider anything written in stone.

Tue Feb 26, 2013 9:14 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1743

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Gedmud wrote:

Nice list Ken.

I'm curious. Are there any films by either Scorsese or Kubrick that you flat out don't like?

Not really, with the caveat that I'm missing some of Scorsese's "in-between" movies and I haven't seen Fear and Desire.

I can think of some of their movies that I'm more reserved on (more Scorsese, given Kubrick's smaller output), but there's none of them that outright leaves me cold.

It's worth mentioning that I think the worst crime a filmmaker can commit is to deliver a film that's bland, safe, and uninspiring at every turn. It's that kind of movie that truly leaves me flat and arouses my contempt. I don't think either Scorsese or Kubrick has/had it in them to do that sort of work. All their movies have something worthy about them.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Tue Feb 26, 2013 10:03 pm

Gedmud

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 1:43 pmPosts: 345

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Ken wrote:

It's worth mentioning that I think the worst crime a filmmaker can commit is to deliver a film that's bland, safe, and uninspiring at every turn. It's that kind of movie that truly leaves me flat and arouses my contempt. I don't think either Scorsese or Kubrick has/had it in them to do that sort of work. All their movies have something worthy about them.

Excellent, that's how I feel as well.

_________________Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel, and from here on out I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt.

Wed Feb 27, 2013 4:14 am

Balaji Sivaraman

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat Jul 16, 2011 4:22 amPosts: 383Location: Chennai, India

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

I absolutely suck at coming up with lists. To list my top 10 favorite films of all time - even considering that I have not seen 75% of the films in this thread - would be an impossible thing for me to do. Even if I use the Tiers rating, I still would end up botching it. So I am going to end up with a list of the films that have most influenced my growth as a cinephile so far which actually might be the definition of favorite films of all time. What's amazing about these films is that though I now have a lot better understanding of the cinema medium, they have been a constant on this list. They've held their place irrespective of my knowledge of cinema, and I think that is part of their greatness.

Nayagan (1987) - An Indian interpretation of The Godfather which was listed by Richard Corliss as one of the 100 greatest films of all time. To understand this film's significance to most Indians, you'd have to be one of us. Most people, especially in South India, were so used to a melodramatic style of film-making that it had become the norm. In 1987 (a year before I was born), Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan came out with this and blew everyone out of the water. It was one of the first films that showed Indians that not only could we aspire to International standards of filmmaking but actually achieve them. It is the one on this list I've seen most number of times, and it will always be my desert island film. I urge everyone to watch it if they haven't already.

Schindler's List (1993) - Back when I was getting into films, I was searching for so-called "great movies" to start watching, and this was the first film that came up. I watched it and was speechless for some time afterwards. It felt like being knocked out during a round of boxing. I was in a daze for a number of days and the film kept lingering in my thoughts. Till date, I've seen it probably four times (twice to show it to my mother and sister), and I've had the same feeling each time; I am moved to tears each time the actors morph into the real Schindler Jews. It is my favorite English film of all time as can be seen from the quote in my signature. (This was the first film I ever bought on DVD.)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - I saw this at a time when I wasn't even interested in such films, and I saw it only because I wanted to watch "serious" cinema. The main reason I picked this was it was science-fiction, a genre of interest to me. The first Kubrick film that I saw, and it left me breathless. I was in awe of it all. Never before had I seen such a beautiful marriage of visuals and music on-screen. It was like watching a symphony orchestra. The effect that the film left on me might never go away, and I've seen it only once for God's sake. It is just cinema, pure cinema.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) - Long back before I was actually interested in cinema, I was flicking TV channels randomly and this came up on one of them. I'd heard something about it and my father (who's not really a huge cinema person) had spoken about it as well; so I sat down to watch it. And I was blown away. It was the first Western I saw and everything about it amazed me. The set design, the cinematography, the action sequences, the acting, the dialogues... everything. Are there better Westerns? Possibly. But I haven't seen any of them. In fact, I haven't even seen the first two films in the Dollar series. Irrespective of whether I see them and consider them better or not, I will always vividly remember the first time I saw Clint Eastwood shoot Eli Wallach's rope as Ennio Morricone's immortal theme began to play.

Pulp Fiction (1994) - I saw this because it featured on some list and I thought it sounded like a great gangster film. I knew I was royally fucked the first time it got over. It is probably "the film" I think of each time somebody brings up the importance of screen-writing. Never before had I seen a film which placed so much importance on its screenplay. It was just a brilliant film in any sense and the conversations were the best I'd listened to. The entire sequence beginning with Travolta's "Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face." to Harvey Keitel's immortal appearance as The Wolf is possibly my favorite film sequence of all time. I hadn't seen such an audacious sequence in a film before and haven't since. (Inglourious Basterds might just pip this off the list as the quintessential Tarantino film but how that holds up remains to be seen.)

The Godfather (1972) - I was one of those who read the book immediately before watching the film. I'd also read about the film's greatness. But none of that could've prepared me for what was to come. It remains one of those films that I can remember from memory. The weakest link would be Michael's scenes in Italy which read better in the book. But it is anchored by one of the greatest performances I have ever seen and has one of the perfect parting shots of any film I've seen.

Goodfellas (1990) - It's Scorsese. Ask me tomorrow and I might choose Raging Bull or The Departed. I saw Taxi Driver a long time ago and don't remember much of it; which reminds me I have to get to that again. I am going to be seeing them all as part of a Scorsese marathon I am planning to go in the next couple of months. We'll see whether my opinion changes. But right now, I think this is Scorsese's most accomplished film in terms of perfectly balancing art with more mainstream sensibilities. Both Taxi Driver and Raging Bull aren't easily approachable by regular viewers whereas Goodfellas has a lot to offer for general audiences on the surface but reveals a lot of depth the more you watch it. I am going to declare right now that I consider Martin Scorsese to be my favorite filmmaker of all time, and I haven't even watched his entire filmography.

It's A Wonderful Life (1946) - The quintessential feel-good film. It strikes a personal chord because I have lived most of my life on the same philosophies shown here. And I have had real life experiences that perfectly fit the film's final quote: "No man is a failure who has friends." It has Jimmy Stewart at his adorable best and a very pleasantly appealing Donna Reed and is one I will never tire of watching.

The Dark Knight (2008) - The quintessential superhero and Batman film. I remember watching Batman Begins and thinking how it had managed to capture so many of Batman's facets perfectly. For about the first 2 hours of The Dark Knight, it felt as if I was watching a film more about Joker than Batman, as was intended. But the final 20 minutes are pure Batman perfection. There are two quotes told in exactly the situations that warrant them that summarize the Batman myth more than any film has ever done: Joker's "You truly are incorruptible, aren't you?" and Jim Gordon's final monologue culminating with "He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight." I still get goosebumps each time that line morphs into a dark screen showing the film's name.

The Social Network (2010) - David Fincher's masterpiece. For some people, it might be Fight Club or Zodiac or Seven, for me, due to personal reasons, it is this film. I've seen it countless times and have been amazed at the attention to detail demonstrated by Fincher in recreating the PCs, Linux, and KDE of the era; in recreating all versions of Facebook from the first on shown in Zuckerberg's dorm room to the final one shown in the film's parting shot; in a number of other ways as well. But above and beyond all that, this film works because of the effectiveness of the drama which is so gripping. The central relationship between Zuckerberg and Saverin is one for the ages and is so brilliantly captured through two great performances. But it also holds personal value to me because I am someone who dreams of making it big in the startup industry (and has a small idea of his own in his head) and watching this film and the single-mindedness of Zuckerberg, Saverin, Moskowitz, and Hughes gets me pumped up each time. It is just a masterpiece in any sense of the word. (Incidentally, it is the first film I ever bought on Blu-Ray.)

There you go. With the exception of a handful of films, I don't expect this to change. Nayagan, Schindler's List, 2001 and The Godfather will always have a place on this list. There will also always be one Scorsese and Tarantino. That leaves four to fill in, and they're the only ones I can see changing at a later point in time.

_________________Balajithots - Last Updated 21-Jan - Frozen (2013)This list... is an absolute good. The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf.

Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:35 am

Gedmud

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sat May 26, 2012 1:43 pmPosts: 345

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Balaji,

Love your posts man! Keep it up.

_________________Sometimes I think I have felt everything I'm ever gonna feel, and from here on out I'm not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I've already felt.

Wed Feb 27, 2013 2:34 pm

Jeff Wilder

Director

Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 5:07 pmPosts: 1463

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Updated list forthcoming

_________________This ain't a city council meeting you know-Joe Cabot

Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out-Martin Scorsese.

Yeah I can see people liking it, but top 10 material? That's a little surprising. Monique was good and everything, but i'm not so sure it was Oscar worthy. Personally I found the film way too over-the-top and narmish to really be able take seriously. Paul Mooney's bit here pretty much sums up my thoughts on the film:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ivPSmX6nE

Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:10 am

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1362Location: Bangkok

Re: Your Top 10 Favorite Films Are..?

Just did the top 50 for the rottentomatoes forum nomination, and just saw this sub-forum so I guess I would also post it here too. Caveats: I did this list by their rules, which means that there is no grouping movie together whatsoever; otherwise, both the Toy Story trilogy and the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset set would have jumped into my top 5, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy might just break the top 10.

Be With You, a Japanese film, is my favorite love story movie of all time. Recommended.

I've always felt myself to be a bit sentimental when it comes to movies, but not until I compiled the top 50 that I've found out how sappy I really am. Just in the top 10 alone, there are many movies (no. 1,2,6,7,8,10) that I love to death because of how they moved me emotionally.

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